Review of The Black Balloon (2008) by Julia M — 29 Mar 2008

I thought this was a wonderful and powerful film, a moving film. I haven't seen a film that deals with a family under stress with such empathy and insight since Moonlight Mile. Having had a lot of experience with autistic people, I think it was spot-on.

It had the potential to be cloying and sappy but makes this family into a group of real people. Ultimately, it's really just the story of a kid discovering whether he has enough love in his heart to care for his family and himself.